Piano Lessons
by VGComposerEscalante
Summary: One-shot. Cloud struggles to conquer his newest, black and white, ivory enemy. Rated T for mild language.


**Here it is! My first ever one-shot story. Hop you enjoy it!**

**You know the drill. I own nothing of this story. Blah, blah, blah...**

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**Piano Lessons**

...tick...tock...tock...tock...tick...tock...tock...tock...

"...nngh..."

...tick...tock...tock...tock...tick...tock...tock...tock...

"...hmm..."

...tick...tock...tock...tock...tick...tock...tock...tock...

"...tsk..."

...tick...tock...tock...tock...tick...tock...tock...tock...

_Damn it. I keep screwing up that chord. It's hard to move my left hand down there that fast. And I'm getting so sick of that annoying ticking sound!!!_

Cloud Strife. An ex-military man, ex-mercenary, considered invincible by some, was being figuratively torn apart by the black and white sheet music in front of him and the annoying _"ticking sound"_ as he struggled to play a short song on a baby grand piano.

Sighing, "Why don't we give it a rest for a bit, huh?" Tifa Lockhart grabbed Clouds hands and gently pulled them away from the ivory keys of the recently purchased piano now occupying a small space in the corner of their bar.

"No..." Cloud protested. "...I can do it today, I just..."

"It's alright." Tifa said. "I can tell you're getting tired of this for today. I mean, I can even tell how much the metronome is upsetting you."

_What?!? _Cloud looked at her. _How can she know that?_

Tifa continued, "Believe me, you keep looking over at it, just wishing you could smash it, and don't you dare even try!" She pointed right in his face. "It took me a long time to fix that old thing."

Cloud looked over at the small, demonic metronome resting upon the piano. _She's right. That thing was pretty hard to find, not to mention fix._

Tifa was clearing up the stacks of sheet music they had accumulated over the few months that they had had their piano. Cloud had purchased it from a man in Kalm selling off his possessions to afford the long move to Mideel. Not long after buying it, news spread about the beautiful new addition to the "7th Heaven" lobby. People came to see and hear the lovely bar maiden play old folk tunes and ballads during the new "Musical Happy Hour". So much in fact that Marlene and Denzel asked to be given weekly lessons by Tifa. Not long after agreeing, they wanted the whole "Family" to be a part of it, so they convinced Cloud to start learning as well during his days off.

"...sorry..." Sighed Cloud. "...it's just that with the new deliveries, I haven't had as much time to practice. And I know that you and the kids wanted me to learn as fast as they have..." It was true. After only a few weeks of practicing, Marlene and Denzel were both much better at playing then Cloud was. Although, secretly, no one was really surprised.

Tifa looked back. "It's ok. I know you've been busy. And that this isn't exactly the most important thing to you right now."

"No!" Cloud replied. "I...really want to learn how to do this..." Cloud paused. "...if it will make you and the kids happy."

Tifa paused, set down the music in a drawer behind the bar, and walked over to the piano where Cloud was still sitting. "You're doing just fine. And the kids think so too. They're just really happy to see you doing something with them more often."

Cloud sat there in silence still staring at the keys in front of him.

"Believe me," Tifa continued. "You're doing just fine."

Cloud still sat in silence as Tifa walked away to finished tidying up the bar for the night.

_Yeah-freaking-right I'm doing "just fine". It's not like I'm freaking "Piano Squall" or anything._

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Cloud went to bed that night thinking about what Tifa had said to him.

_"You're doing just fine. And the kids think so too. They're just really happy to see you doing something with them more often."_

Cloud looked over to the picture of the four of them together in front of their bar.

..._are they really happy with just a sub-mediocre player like me? I can't even get through the first page of "Ahead On Our Way"._

Cloud laid back onto his bed,staring up to the blank ceiling.

_...what am I doing?..._

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For the next couple of weeks, life went on as normal. No big incidents. The usual set of deliveries. And plenty of pain-in-the-ass customers not only gaping at the beautiful piano player every weekend, but also admiring the simple tunes played by the youth of "7th Heaven". Cloud had been arguing with himself ever since that day as to why he was bothering trying to play that cursed instrument.

_...it's not like I've ever been musically adept in any way..._

He was in the garage in the back of the building tuning up Fenrir from the previous delivery run to Junon.

_...she says that it makes them all happy. But if I was listening to someone play as terrible as me, I certainly would not be happy about it..._

Inside he started to hear a beautiful, familiar voice singing softly to a popular song.

"...I acted so distant then

Didn't say goodbye before you left

But I was listening

You fight your battles far from me

Far too easily..."

He stopped and walked inside to witness Marlene plunking out a less-than-perfect accompaniment to Tifa swaying back and forth as she washed used shot glasses and singing softly.

"...'Save your tears cause I'll come back'

I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door

But I still swore

To hide the pain, when I turn back the pages

Shouting might have been the answer

What if I cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart

But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart..."

Cloud spent what felt like an eternity just standing by the hallway listening to that beautiful woman sing a soft melody laced with love and emotion. He left the hallway back to the garage without anyone noticing, packed up his tools, and left on Fenrir through the streets of Edge towards Kalm.

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4 weeks later, after Cloud and Tifa finished cleaning up the bar and putting Marlene and Denzel to bed, he pulled Tifa aside.

"Tifa..." He started. "...would you mind if I showed you something?"

A little curious at his unusual proposal, she replied. "Sure. What is it?"

Cloud shyly scratched the back of his neck. "Umm...it's downstairs...in the bar."

"Okay." Tifa replied.

Tifa followed Cloud downstairs to the bar as he secretly pulled out a piece of sheet music from a small folder he was carrying. When Cloud had stopped in front of the piano, Tifa was a bit surprised.

"...Cloud?..." _...this certainly is strange..._ She thought as he sat down at the piano and set up sheet music. ..._he hasn't even touched this thing in weeks..._

After taking a deep breath, Cloud set his fingers on the black and white keys in front of him.

_...please don't let me screw this up..._

Tifa silently gasped as Cloud started to play the familiar notes to a song she knew by heart. Minutes that felt like endless bliss went by as she listened to Cloud play what she thought he would never even try to play. As she listened, she started to notice she was even singing along softly to herself.

"...The dream isn't over yet

Though I often say I can't forget

I still relive that day

You've been there with me all the way

I still hear you say..."

Tifa stared at the man, who obviously was not enjoying this performance as much as she was, struggle through the notes as he tried his best to get from start to finish.

As Cloud played the final chord to the song he'd spent three and a half weeks trying to learn, he looked over to Tifa, who had apparently started crying.

_...aw damn it. I knew she wouldn't like it. I messed up the entire chorus the first two times through, and that section just past measure 97 sucked. I knew it would be ju-..._

Cloud was pulled out of his state of self-pity as he felt a warm set of lips on his cheek.

"...uh, Teef?"

Tifa pulled back. "Where did you learn to play like that? I don't remember ever showing you that one? I thought only Marlene had been practicing that. Never mind that, when did you ever practice?!"

Cloud stared back at her, half-confused for a moment. "...uh...I, borrowed this from Marlene a few weeks ago. A woman who knew the man in Kalm also played piano..so I asked her to teach me." He caught himself. "..er...n-not that you were a bad teacher of anything but...I just...wanted it to be a surprise for you. I wanted to see if you really were happy with me learning this for you guys."

Tifa smiled. "Of course I'm happy with you learning how to play. I loved it."

Cloud sighed deeply as he heard that response.

..._she loved it..._

Tifa then placed her hand on his leg. "Just promise me, next time..."

Cloud looked over to her hand, and then up to her face. "...?"

"...let me help next time."

He blushed and smiled at her. "...yeah..."

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"Wait for me, I'll write you letters"

I could see how you stammered with your eyes to the floor

But I still swore

To hide the doubt when I turn back the pages

Anger might have been the answer

What if I'd hung my head and said that I couldn't wait

But now I'm strong enough to know it's not too late

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**There you go. My first one-shot story! Let me know what you think. And brownie points to the first person who can tell me what song Cloud was playing. And who Piano Squall is.**


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